The Election Commission will order a repoll in booths where allegations of EVM tampering are found to be true, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal said on Wednesday, asserting a “zero tolerance” approach to any electoral malpractice.
The assurance comes amid claims during the second and final phase of polling that symbols on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were allegedly obscured using tape or ink in certain booths.
“Wherever we got tapes or any form of tampering with the EVMs, we will conduct a repoll. We will follow a zero-tolerance policy,” Agarwal told reporters.
He said any decision on repoll would follow a detailed verification process, based on reports from district election officers and election observers.
“If a large number of booths in any constituency report such instances, we will conduct a repoll in the entire constituency,” he added, while noting that preliminary checks have not indicated tampering during official handling, including mock polls.
The allegations were raised by the Bharatiya Janata Party, with party IT cell chief Amit Malviya sharing a video on social media claiming that white tape had been placed over the party’s symbol in booths in the Falta Assembly segment and demanding a repoll.
The Election Commission said it is examining ground reports and has not yet confirmed the authenticity of the video.
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Agarwal suggested that any such acts, if verified, may have occurred during the voting process. “It seems that when people are going to cast votes, they are pasting these tapes on the machines. We will check how much time individuals spent while voting,” he said.
He emphasised that EVM security during polling is overseen by central paramilitary forces as per standard operating procedures, and any violation would invite strict legal action.
“Those found guilty will face the strictest punishment under the law,” he said.
Responding to concerns raised by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over alleged “excessive activism” by police and central forces in parts of her constituency, Agarwal said security personnel acted based on ground assessments to maintain order.
“The responsibility of conducting free and fair elections also lies with the police,” he said.
The Election Commission said it has received 2,196 complaints of various kinds from the 142 constituencies that went to polls on Wednesday.
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